A makeshift memorial outside the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in honor of 215 children whose remains were found near the facility, in Kamloops, Canada, on September 1, 2021.
COLE BURSTON / AFP via Getty Images
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COLE BURSTON / AFP via Getty Images
A makeshift memorial outside the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in honor of 215 children whose remains were found near the facility, in Kamloops, Canada, on September 1, 2021.
COLE BURSTON / AFP via Getty Images
The government of Canada will set aside $40 billion – more than $30 billion – to compensate Indigenous peoples who faced abuse as children in the country’s residential schools, officials announced. on Monday. The money will also be used to reform the country’s troubled child welfare system.
The pledge comes amid ongoing negotiations between Canadian authorities and First Nations groups on how to correct historical abuses of Indigenous children.
“We have been very unequivocal throughout these historic negotiations: we will compensate those harmed by the federal government’s discriminatory funding practices, and we will lay the groundwork. for a fairer and better future for children, their families and their communities across the country,” Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu and Minister of Indigenous-Thai Relations Marc Miller said in a joint statement.
From 1831 to 1998, split government approximately 150,000 Indigenous children from their families and send them to residential schools where they regularly face physical and sexual abuse. At least 6,000 students died, although officials say that number is likely higher.
The money will be used to settle an order by the Canadian Court of Human Rights and two class-action lawsuits as well as pay for more lasting improvements to the Indigenous child welfare system, CBC reported.
“While the Government of Canada’s pledge of $40 billion to end ongoing discrimination and compensate vulnerable children and families is an important step, many legal steps are needed. before victims get the compensation they owe and First Nations children get the services they deserve,” said Cindy Blackstock, executive director of First Nations Child & Family Care Society of Canada , said in a statement.
Blackstock notes that many Indigenous children and young people in Canada still face challenges in achieving basic public services.
Negotiations are continuing, but both sides have agreed to a December 31 deadline, according to CBC.
This story originally appeared inside Morning version live blogs.
